Holy Family Institute

Mission:
In the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching and rooted in the heritage of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, we empower children and families to lead responsible lives and develop healthy relationships built on faith, hope, and love.

At a Glance:
Holy Family Institute has served the community for more than 110 years. The services and programs of Holy Family Institute are constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of children and families.

The agency was founded in 1900, when three orphaned children were brought to the Sister’s summer home in Emsworth. From there, the organization accepted many more children who needed care, and in 1931 Holy Family Institute changed its name from Orphan Asylum of the Holy Family to Holy Family Institute. This was due to the shift from being a true orphanage to a small-group living facility serving both orphans and other children in need.
Through the years, Holy Family Institute has developed a wide range of programs to help children and families in their communities. Today, the majority of our services include educating behaviorally challenged children, counseling and helping families to function as a healthy unit in their homes, offering drug and alcohol addiction counseling to children and youth, and making outpatient mental health counseling available to families and children who are functioning in the community but need specialized help.

Activities:
Each day, more than 450 dedicated educators, therapists, residential care workers, and administrators at HFI work to provide help, healing hope and support to children and families in Western Pennsylvania and beyond.

Services for Children and Youth:

Specialized schools – HFI serves more than 600 students from more than 60 schools throughout Pennsylvania, operating three schools in the Pittsburgh.

Youth Workforce Development program – HFI teaches youth real-world skills which prepare them to enter the workforce or continue training at a higher-level technical school, community college or apprenticeship program.

Stop Now and Plan (SNAP®) program – HFI provides an evidence-based early intervention program for young boys and girls who are experiencing behavioral difficulties at home, school or in the community.

Independent Living program – HFI provides guidance about education, scholarships, careers, health care, housing, and more to young adults transitioning out of placement.

Community-based and traditional residential services – HFI provides safe, supportive and emotionally satisfying environments to youth who are removed from their homes, with the goal of safely reuniting youth with their families.

Services for Families:

Family Group Decision-Making – HFI empowers families to develop plans to protect and nurture their children.

In-Home Services – HFI works with families in their home to connect them to resources in the community that will address their specific needs.

Family Focused Solution-Based Services – HFI provides professional preventative treatment to adults and children with serious mental disorders, to reduce the risk of psychiatric hospitalization or out-of-home placement.

Counseling and Mental Health Services – HFI provides professional counseling for children, adults and families, creating a unique treatment plan for each individual based on a psychiatric evaluation.

Parent-Child Home Program – HFI offers this evidence-based early childhood literacy, parenting and school-readiness program to ensure that children are ready for school with the cognitive, social and emotional skills they need to succeed.

Strong Families Collaborative – HFI connects financially-struggling families with employment-related services and supportive services that help them transition to employment.

Holy Family Institute served more than 9,000 children and families in 2010-11.

Holy Family Institute also operates the Holy Family International College Preparatory Program, which provides boarding and supportive services to international students seeking education in the United States.